Cigar 101 : Cigar Ashtrays

There are 2 types of ashtrays out there. Cigarette ashtrays and Cigar Ashtrays, the difference is how they are designed. This is a typical Cigarette Ashtray.

Notice how the slot to insert the cigarette is tight to ensure that the lit cigarette doesn’t roll around? This is great for a cigarette, but try throwing a Robolo cigar in there. It won’t fit. The ashtray in question was not designed for cigars. period.

Most ashtrays on the market were designed for cigarettes as the market for cigarettes is much larger than for cigars. A typical trip to Walmart, Target or any other big box retailer will yield tons of ashtrays that are unusable for cigars. Whereas Cigar Ashtrays have much wider slots to hold cigars and typically can handle much more ash, such as the one pictured to the right. Typically a cigar generates much more ash and smoke due to the relative size of a cigar vs a cigarette. It’s also worth noting that the construction of a premium cigar is 100% tobacco whereas a cigarette is typically a mixture of paper, filter, and other non-tobacco parts that burn very differently than a cigar does.

A well made cigar ashtray can hold your cigar (and your friends cigars as well) as well as the ash generated from those cigars in a organized fashion that will not lead a difficult cleanup.

An industry leader in this would be Stinky Cigar Ashtrays as they were developed as an alternative to the traditional ceramic ashtray. They feature huge ash bowls and shortened cigar holders to prevent the cold tray from putting out your cigar. They’re also ruggedly constructed from powder-coated iron, making them very easy to clean between smokes. There are several brands that would do the job as well.

The end result is when you are looking for a cigar ashtray consider the following:

1 – The size of the Cigars that you use.
2 – The number of people that typically enjoy cigars with you and the slots match that number.
3 – Material and construction of the ashtray
4 – Cosmetic appearance of the Ashtray, does it fit in with where you are putting it?